Classic Lamb Potato Curry Food

CURRIED LAMB AND POTATOES

Steps:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 3 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 teaspoon garam masala, chili powder, paprika and thyme, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin and olive oil. Add lamb chops; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight., Place potatoes in a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker. Transfer lamb to slow cooker., Place tomatoes, broth, onion, and remaining garlic and seasonings in a blender; cover and process until blended. Pour over lamb and potatoes. Cook, covered, on low 4-5 hours or until meat is tender. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones; discard bones. Shred meat with two forks. Strain cooking juices, reserving potatoes; skim fat. Return lamb, cooking juices and reserved potatoes to slow cooker; heat through. If desired, serve with rice and cilantro.

CLASSIC LAMB & POTATO CURRY

Steps:

• Wash and drain your meat. Peel and chop 3 - 4 onions.
• Place the meat, onions, 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp garlic, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cardamoms, fenugreek seeds and salt (to your taste) in a pot and cover. Turn the flame to full and cook for 20 - 25 minutes, stir occasionally.
• Gradually you will find that there will be a lot of fluid in the saucepan (top left photo), let the meat cook covered till most of this fluid has evaporated. Remember to stir the curry, stirring prevents it from burning and helps break down the onions, ginger and garlic.
• Once most of the fluid has evaporated and you can see the oil/fat from the meat has separated and is bubbling around the edges of the pan, you're ready to add the oil and spices. I normally add 3 serving spoons, the flat wooden spoon here being my measurement of oil (top right photo) but I estimate this to be about 80 - 100ml. You do need a fair amount of oil for the spices to fry well, you can't expect to cook a decent curry without adding extra oil. Photo on the bottom left, shows you what your meat should look like before adding spices. Once you've added the oil proceed to add spices; add ½ tsp of turmeric (add 1 tsp if you want more colour)....
• tsp of chilli powder (use less/none if you want a mild curry, this is a medium heat curry), 2 heaped tsp mixed curry powder, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp ground cumin.
• Mix the spices well and allow to fry over a low flame for 5 - 10 minutes to remove the raw taste. You have to be careful at this stage as the curry has very little liquid in it, so has a tendency to burn at the bottom. Make sure you stir it frequently to prevent this. I usually half cover the curry and keep my lid slightly ajar, this helps me keep an eye on the curry and I can smell if it's starting to burn at the bottom. If your curry does brown a little add some water, approximately ¼ glass and leave it to soften the burnt parts then scrape off with a wooden spoon, this normally doesn't affect the taste. If however it burns REALLY badly, I suggest changing pots.
• Meanwhile peel and halve 5 medium potatoes. Rinse and add to the pot, cover again and leave to simmer over a low - medium flame for a further 5 minutes. When the potatoes are half cooked (bottom right photo), you're ready to add water. Don't overcook the potatoes as you will boil them and don't want them to disintegrate.
• Add 1.5 glasses of cold water. After adding the water you should find that the oil from the curry rises to the top. Cover, turn the heat back up to full and allow to boil vigorously for a further 8 -10 minutes. You may add several whole chillies at this point, more for decorative purposes than flavour. Check the salt before taking the curry off the heat and adjust if necessary.
• Remove from the heat, leave covered for several minutes to allow the oil to rise to the top then garnish with fresh coriander. Enjoy your lamb and potato curry with rice, pilau or a flat bread.